MHS Indians football Co-Captain Gary Spani went on to play football at K-State from 1974-1978. Spani was KSU’s leading tackler for three consecutive seasons and remained the school’s all-time leading tackler for over 25 years. He was a three-time All-Big Eight selection for the Wildcats and finished his career with 543 tackles. He was named the 1977 Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year and was the defensive MVP for both the East-West Shrine Game and the Japan Bowl. He was named Kansas State’s first consensus All American in 1977. A three-time All-BIG-8 Conference selection, he was named Defensive Player of the Week four times, and was twice named the team’s Most Valuable Player. Following graduation, Spani was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs and became the team’s leading tackler in his first season.
A nine-year starter and team captain, he led the team in tackles four straight seasons. He finished his career as the Chiefs’ all-time leading tackler with 999. He was voted the NFL Man of the Year in 1983. Gary was named to the all-time All-Big 8 Decade Team for the 1970s and K-State’s All-Century team. He was inducted into the Kansas State Hall of Fame in 2000 and K-State’s inaugural Ring of Honor in 2002. He became the first player from K-State to be inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 2002. He was inducted into the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor in 2003 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2006, Spani is in the Chiefs organization as the Director of Sales.